The NHS trust said it told the media about the bug in January.

Up to 28 people in Shropshire have died from Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamose, a highly-resistant strain of e-coli, since it was discovered in March 2003.

On Thursday Telford coroner Michael Gwynne called on the Princess Royal Hospital in the town to ensure staff follow guidelines to fight the bug.

The trust said it had alerted the rest of the country to ESBL.

Inquest reopened

It said it followed procedures correctly and had introduced more effective antibiotics to fight the bug.

Mr Gwynne claimed he and his colleagues had not been told about the outbreak until March even though it was first identified a year earlier.

The trust said it issued details to the media in January and the bug was discussed in the private part of public meetings to ensure patient confidentiality.

Mr Gwynne now plans to reopen an inquest into the death in May of Ethel Williams, 93, from Telford, at the Princess Royal Hospital, after being told it may have been attributable to ESBL.